Digital 3D/360 degree camera system

• US 20040246333A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leonard P. Steuart III
• Original Assignee: Leonard P. Steuart III
• Inventors: Steuart, Leonard P. (Skip) III
• Granted Patent: US 7,463,280 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/08 by simultaneous recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/00 Panoramic or wide-screen photography; Photographing extended surfaces, e.g. for surveying; Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

The digital 3D/360° camera system is an omnidirectional stereoscopic device for capturing image data that may be used to create a 3-dimensional model for presenting a 3D image, a 3D movie, or 3D animation. The device uses multiple digital cameras, arranged with overlapping fields of view, to capture image data covering an entire 360° scene. The data collected by one, or several, digital 3D/360° camera systems can be used to create a 3D model of a 360° scene by using triangulation of the image data within the overlapping fields of view.

Claims

1. A digital 3D/360°

camera system, comprising;

a housing;

a plurality of digital cameras disposed on said housing, each of the digital cameras having a field of view that overlaps the field of view of least one other of the digital cameras to form a stereoscopic field of view; and

a controller having a processor, a memory, a storage device, a clock, a communication interface, and a camera interface, the camera interface being in communication with each of said digital cameras.

2. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further comprises instrumentation for determining the position of the digital 3D/360°

camera system.

3. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 2, wherein said instrumentation for determining the position of the digital 3D/360°

camera system comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

4. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further comprises instrumentation for determining the orientation of the digital 3D/360°

camera system.

5. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 4, wherein said instrumentation for determining the orientation of the digital 3D/360°

camera system comprises a digital magnetic compass.

6. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller is disposed within said housing.

7. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, further comprising;

a computer program code stored in said storage device and executing in said memory under the direction of said processor, the computer program including means for controlling said digital cameras.

8. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 7, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras comprises;

means for storing a pixel vector map file in said mass storage device;

means for retrieving said pixel vector map file from said mass storage device; and

means for using said external communication interface to export said pixel vector map file to an external device.

9. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 8, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras further comprises means for creating said pixel vector map file.

10. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 8, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras further comprises means for downloading said pixel vector map file from an external source.

11. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 7, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras comprises;

means for commanding said digital cameras to capture an image; and

means for reading image data from said digital cameras and storing said image data in said storage device.

12. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 11, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras further comprises means for commanding said digital cameras to set exposure parameters.

13. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 11, wherein said means for controlling said digital cameras further comprises means for exporting said image data on said external communication interface.

14. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of digital cameras comprises eight digital cameras arranged in four stereoscopic pairs, each stereoscopic pair viewing a separate quadrant of a 360°

panoramic scene.

15. The digital 3d/360°

camera system according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of digital cameras further comprises four additional digital cameras arranged in two additional stereoscopic pairs, one of the additional stereoscopic pairs having a field of view upward relative to a plane defined by the 360°

panoramic scene and the other additional stereoscopic pair having a field of view downward relative to the plane defined by the 360°

panoramic scene.

16. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of digital cameras comprises sixteen digital cameras arranged in eight stereoscopic pairs, each stereoscopic pair viewing a separate octant of a 360°

scene.

17. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of digital cameras are arranged in a circle.

18. The digital 3D/360°

camera system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of digital cameras are arranged in a sphere.

19. A method of using a digital 3D/360°

camera system to create a 3-dimensional image model, comprising the steps of;

using a digital 3D/360°

camera system to capture digital image data having points of interest that are captured in the digital image data of at least two digital cameras;

for each point of interest, identifying a pixel vector from each of said at least two digital cameras that corresponds to the point of interest; and

for each point of interest, using said pixel vector from each of said at least two digital cameras to determine the position of the point of interest in a coordinate system relative to a system reference point.